[Dormant] Electric Vehicles

Wired magazine does not devote a lot of time to electric cars, so when it runs a story saying the new Renault 5 EV is will be a “smash hit,” it’s time to sit up and pay attention. Now, before we get carried away, Wired gives the Renault 5 a rating of 8 out of 10 — good, but not perfect. Range could be better and back seat passengers may find leg and hip room a little tight, but there is a lot to love about the new car, starting with styling.

“The new Renault 5 EV is unashamedly nostalgic in look, mining a design trend that’s been around so long that retro is almost retro,” Wired says. “Yet when you see it in the flesh for the first time resistance is futile. Here, surely, is the electric car that will demolish any lingering preconceptions, a surprisingly sophisticated conduit for all-round feel-good vibes that’s packed with big-car tech.” That is high praise indeed. Renault boss Luca de Meo couldn’t agree more. “Some products are magical,” he said. “You don’t have to hold endless discussions, everybody is always in agreement on what needs to be done. And they do it. There’s no inertia.”

Renault 5 EV Shines

A little history is called for. The Renault R5 first appeared in 1972 as a competitor to the Fiat 127 (which later was produced in Russia as a Lada before it reappeared later as the Yugo). From 1976 until 1983, it was sold in North America as Le Car, a rather sly way of emphasizing its Gallic origins to customers who would not know an R5 from an avocado. The R5 was no track day star. It came with a 782cc 4-cylinder engine. A 956cc engine was optional and a 1289cc engine was made available in 1974. Despite its modest power, the R5 was the best selling car in France (and much of Europe) from 1972 until 1986. It was cheap to buy, economical to operate, rugged, and one of the first cars to feature a hatchback instead of a trunk.

Wired writes, “The new R5 aims to brighten your day via its candy colors, and an exterior and interior design that prompts an expertly executed Proustian rush. The silhouette might be familiar, but the new car has fuller proportions and imaginative postmodern touches galore. There’s a cheeky little four corner graphic in the headlights that ‘winks’ as you approach. The foglights below mimic that motif, while the vertical taillights are another echo of the original. They’re now designed for a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that would have boggled the minds of Renault’s engineers back in the day. The chunky wheel arches call to mind the mid-engined R5 rally car, and the new car’s roof can be had in a variety of treatments. It’s a five door car but the rear door handles are cleverly hidden away. And the old car’s hood vent reappears here as a state-of-charge indicator. Each strip represents 20 percent of the available energy.”

Fans of the R5 will recall that Renault stuffed a turbocharged engine into the car where the rear seat used to be, widened the rear axle by a foot or more, and created one of the quickest road cars you could buy at the time. The car was a beast to drive, with many test drivers reporting the turbo was more like an on/off switch. Controlling the available power was tricky, even for professional drivers, but the performance was exhilarating, to say the least.

Specs & Prices

The new R5 uses a bespoke platform, called AmpR, so it has a flat floor and longish wheelbase despite measuring only 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) in overall length. The battery’s case helps stiffen the structure. The new R5 comes with two batteries — 40 kWh and 52 kWh. There are also three motors available — 70 kW, 90 kW, and 110n kW — which are equivalent to 94, 121, and 150 hp, respectively. Both batteries contain prismatic NMC cells from Renault’s battery partner AESC. According to Renault, both the vehicles themselves and the batteries will be manufactured in northern France. Only the larger battery will be available at the start of production.

Prices start at £22,995 ($29,830) with uprated models selling for £30,000 ($38,890), yet the R5 is not a cheap car in terms of its engineering specs. Multilink rear suspension and disc brakes all-round are unusual in this class, suggesting a big-car character in a compact package, Wired says. A heat pump is standard. Maximum charging power is 100 kW — enough to replenish the battery from 15 to 80% in 30 minutes. There is also an 11 kW AC charger built in. Renault says cars fitted with the 52 kWh battery have a range of 255 miles WLTP. An equivalent EPA range would be right around 200 miles, although Renault has no current plans to market the car in US.